


A New Day

by Finduilas



Category: 9-1-1 (TV)
Genre: Arguing, Bobby gives advice, Feelings Realization, Getting Together, M/M, Mention of Ana Flores, Mention of Christopher Diaz - Freeform, No Ana Hate, Tumblr Prompt
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-03-15
Updated: 2021-03-15
Packaged: 2021-03-24 03:15:04
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,452
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/30065811
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Finduilas/pseuds/Finduilas
Summary: Written for the following Anon prompt on Tumblr:For the Buddies prompt : Chris acts nightmarish with Ana and Eddie overhears him when he says : "I don't like you because you are hurting my Bucky..." Then Eddie, oblivious idiot that he is, talks about it at the firehouse. Bobby tries to make him understand who he was speaking of when they had their heart-to-heart. Meanwhile Buck is simply trying to be there for Chris.Many thanks to Gemma for the beta!
Relationships: Evan "Buck" Buckley/Eddie Diaz (9-1-1 TV)
Comments: 26
Kudos: 552





	A New Day

Eddie sighs as he shrugs off his backpack, opening his locker. The morning has been… eventful, to say the least. Eddie knows that he’s partially to blame for it, but Christopher’s behavior certainly didn’t help. No, that’s not right, he shouldn’t blame Christopher. The kid was wildly unprepared to see Ana there first thing in the morning. 

The thing is, nothing went according to plan. Eddie and Ana were just supposed to have one drink after they came home from their date and Buck - who had been kind enough to babysit - had gone home. Except one drink led to two and then they started watching something on tv and before either of them knew it they had fallen asleep on the couch, it was morning and Christopher was standing in front of them, eyeing them suspiciously. 

Eddie and Ana were both a bit embarrassed, laughing uncomfortably, but Eddie figured it would all be okay. Christopher had been dealing okay-ish with him dating Ana. They’d been re-introduced, this time not as his teacher but as the woman his father was dating and Christopher seemed alright with it. He hasn’t been overly enthusiastic, but Eddie figures it just needs time. Except this morning Christopher really hadn’t acted like himself. He wasn’t rude, per se, but he definitely wasn’t the bright, perky kid Eddie was used to. Then Eddie had left them alone for two minutes to go to the bathroom and when he came back he was just in time to hear Christopher say, “I don’t like you because you are hurting my Buck…” Eddie had halted in the hallway, frozen in place. He listened as Ana stammered something, but then Christopher had rushed to his bedroom and hasn’t spoken to Eddie since. 

“You okay, Eddie?” Chimney asks, eyeing Eddie from where he’s sitting on the bench, putting on his shoes. 

“Yeah, I - ” Eddie sighs again, closing his locker with a bang, “Didn’t sleep enough.” 

“Aaaah,” Chimney says with a sly grin, nodding at Eddie like he’s uncovered some kind of clue, “I see.” 

“Yeah, no,” Eddie says, shaking his head because he definitely knows what Chimney is thinking, “That’s not it.” 

“Ouch,” Chimney says sympathetically, getting up and patting Eddie on the shoulder, “Buck said she came in after your date though.” 

“Buck said - ” Eddie repeats, not entirely sure how he feels about Buck giving a play-by-play of Eddie’s date to the whole firehouse. “Of course he did. What else did he say, huh?” Eddie can hear the bite in his own voice, even before Chimney’s eyebrows go up. 

“Nothing, just - he had fun with Chris, is all,” Chimney says, a little bit wary. 

Eddie bites back any further comments. He’s just tired and caught off guard by Christopher’s words. He shouldn’t take it out on Chimney. He probably shouldn’t take it out on Buck either, even though he can’t help but wonder where on earth Christopher’s comment came from. Was it something Buck said? Eddie just can’t believe Buck would put Chris up against Ana. There is no way. But then why does Christopher think Buck is hurt? Did Buck say something? Did Christopher misunderstand? 

Eddie saw Buck the night before, when Eddie came home with Ana. He didn’t seem different or sad to Eddie, but then again, maybe Eddie had been too focused on Ana to notice? 

He closes his locker and goes out in search of Buck, finding him upstairs in the loft, one leg sprawled over the side of the couch, nose in his phone. 

“Hey,” Eddie says and Buck greets him with a broad smile. “Can I ask you something?” 

“Of course,” Buck says, straightening up to give Eddie his full attention, phone disappearing in his pocket. 

“Did uh - ” Eddie starts, cutting himself off. Then tries again, “Last night, did Christopher - ?” 

Eddie sighs. He should have thought this through before finding Buck, because all of a sudden he has no idea how to broach the subject. 

“What’s wrong?” Buck asks, his entire body language changing, “Did something happen? Is Chris okay?” 

“Yeah, no, he - ” Eddie rubs the back of his neck, “He’s fine. He just had a bit of an attitude with Ana this morning.” 

“ _ Oh _ ,” Buck’s face falls, his eyes leaving Eddie and focusing on the floor. “Maybe - ” Buck starts, but shakes his head instead. 

“What?” Eddie asks. 

“No, just - maybe he wasn’t quite ready to have her sleep over?” Buck frowns, his face twisting in an expression Eddie can’t quite decipher, “I mean, weren’t you guys taking it slow?” 

“Yeah, that’s not - ” Eddie says. 

“You only just introduced them and now she’s there when he wakes up,” Buck goes on, not quite meeting Eddie’s eyes, “I think maybe Chris needs a little more time to process that, you know?”

“Did he say that?” Eddie asks, a little defensive. 

“Not with those words,” Buck shrugs, “But didn’t you tell him things were gonna go slow? Weren’t you gonna ease him into it?” 

“Yeah, Buck, that’s what I’m doing,” Eddie tries to explain. 

“Well, sleeping with her and having her spend the night on - what, the fourth date isn’t exactly taking it slow,” Buck says, an edge to his voice that Eddie doesn’t quite understand. 

“I didn’t sleep with her, Buck,” Eddie says, his tone raised a little bit, knowing full well that Bobby - who’s already preparing them lunch - and God knows who else is in earshot is having a front row seat to the conversation. 

“I’m just saying,” Buck says, “You need to think of your kid - ”

“You don’t think I think of him all the damn time?” Eddie lashes out, his stomach twisting in a knot. 

“That’s not what I meant,” Buck says, “I know you do. It’s just that we talked and I don’t think he’s ready to have her in his life twenty four - seven.” 

“What else did you talk about, huh?” Eddie asks, his jaw clenched. “More judgment about me and Ana?” 

“What?” Buck all but flinches, “Of course not. Why would you think that?” 

“Because my kid lashed out at her this morning because of you!” Eddie blurts out and as the words leave his mouth he’s already regretting them. 

There’s definite hurt that flashes over Buck’s face before he conceals it, visibly closing himself off. 

“Well then maybe you should ask someone else to babysit when you wanna go out with your girlfriend again,” Buck says, getting up off the couch and knocking his shoulder into Eddie’s as he pushes past him. 

“Maybe I should!” Eddie calls out after him because clearly he’s an idiot and he doesn’t know when to shut up. 

The loft becomes quiet again as Buck’s heavy footsteps recede down the stairs and Eddie’s shoulders slump. 

“Bravo,” Bobby breaks through the silence and Eddie is so riled up he has half a mind to snap at Bobby as well. He isn’t quite sure why he doesn’t. 

“I’m trying, okay?” he says instead, his voice a little bit more desperate than he means to. 

“I know you are,” Bobby says, sitting down on the couch that Buck just vacated and motioning for Eddie to sit as well. “But maybe snapping at the one guy that  _ always _ has your back, no matter what, isn’t the best way?” 

Eddie lets himself fall onto the couch. 

“Now what happened this morning?” Bobby asks, resting his elbows on his knees as he leans towards Eddie. 

“Ana… we fell asleep on the couch,” Eddie admits, “Nothing even happened. But she was there when Chris woke up and he wasn’t really all that nice about it. He said,” Eddie sighs; “He didn’t know I heard but he told her he didn’t like her. Because of Buck.” 

“Huh,” Bobby says. 

“He liked her just fine when she was his teacher,” Eddie goes on, “I don’t know what Buck’s been telling him, but - ”

“You don’t honestly believe Buck would badmouth her to Christopher, do you?” Bobby asks and it’s clear from his tone that Bobby doesn’t even consider the option. 

“No, but I just - he said she’s hurting his Buck,” Eddie repeats the words, still not sure what Christopher even meant by it. 

“Ah,” Bobby says and Eddie is starting to think Bobby has a better understanding of what’s going on than he does. 

“Maybe you were wrong, maybe - ” Eddie shakes his head, “Maybe I wasn’t ready for any of this after all.” 

“Eddie...” Bobby says, his hand reaching out to squeeze Eddie’s knee for a moment, “I don’t think I was wrong, I just think maybe we weren’t entirely on the same wavelength.” 

That throws Eddie for a loop, meeting Bobby’s eyes with a confused frown. 

“I think maybe Christopher got it though,” Bobby says with a huff and a small smile, “Kids are perceptive that way.” 

“What are you - ?” Eddie asks, a quick shake of his head. 

“Eddie, when I told you to move on, I wasn’t necessarily talking about Ana Flores,” Bobby says, his eyes fixed on Eddie like he’s trying to figure out his reaction. All Eddie feels right now is confusion though. “I’m sure she’s wonderful, and maybe I’m wrong but I’m not sure she’s the right person for you. And I think maybe Christopher sees that too.” 

There’s a frustration building up inside of Eddie, along with the unsureness, because he’s not understanding any of it anymore. First Bobby tells him to move on, to open up again, to let someone else into his heart, and now he’s telling him - what exactly? 

“So who is this magical person then?” Eddie asks, a little bit annoyed, “That would be so right for me that even you can see it? That my son would approve of? That he would like because it wouldn’t hurt his - ” Eddie sucks in a breath, cutting himself off before he can say the name. He feels like a bucket of ice water is poured over his head, his body jolting to realization. 

He looks at Bobby, his mouth gaping, thinking that Bobby can somehow see his thoughts and maybe he will burst out laughing at Eddie’s assumptions, because surely he can’t mean - 

“I see the two of you together,” Bobby simply says, “How you’re just exactly what the other needs.” 

“Bobby,” Eddie tilts his head curtly, like Bobby’s words can make sense of this all of a sudden. 

“I don’t think Buck said anything bad about Ana, not for a second,” Bobby says and Eddie knows he believes him, “On the contrary, he probably did everything he could to reassure the kid, to make him okay with you dating her.” 

That definitely sounds like Buck. 

“But I think Chris is a smart kid and he knows how to read Buck,” Bobby goes on. 

That definitely sounds like Christopher. Eddie lets out a deep breath, ducks his head as he threads his fingers together behind it. He closes his eyes. 

Buck. 

_ Buck. _

It should make him laugh. It should sound ridiculous. He should have about a million reasons why Bobby and Christopher and God knows who else are wrong about this, but he can’t think of a single one. All he can think about is Buck’s face. Buck’s face when he smiles exuberantly as he spins Christopher around in his arms. Buck’s face when he’s tired and zoned out and radiates softness. Buck’s face when he gives Eddie that soft, loving smile he always does. Buck’s face when he’s hurt and sad and how it cuts through every layer of Eddie’s soul. Like before...

Eddie doesn’t know how he didn’t realize it. Because now it’s all he can see. 

“I need to - ” Eddie gets up off the couch, looking around wildly. 

“You probably know best where he’d be right now,” Bobby smiles softly, and then Eddie is running down the stairs two steps at a time and heading towards the gym.

He stops in the doorway, taking a moment to watch Buck as he slams his fists into one of the punching bags. 

“Buck…” Eddie says and Buck stops abruptly, holding the bag still with both hands. 

“I don’t want to stop seeing Chris,” Buck says in a rush, “It wouldn’t be fair towards him - ”

“I know,” Eddie says, holding his hands up in a plea, “I’m sorry. I’d never - I’m sorry for what I said, I was confused and out of line.” 

Buck huffs, his shoulders slump. 

“I’m an asshole,” Eddie admits, taking a few steps closer to Buck, “Chris caught me off guard this morning, the things he said. But I know you’d never - ”

“I just want him to be happy,” Buck says, shrugging slightly, “But I want you to be happy too.” 

Eddie’s heart squeezes together, his whole entire body wanting to lurch forward and hug Buck. 

“Maybe he misunderstood some of the things I said,” Buck goes on, “I can talk to him again, get him to see that if Ana makes you happy he could try and be open to the idea - ”

“She doesn’t,” Eddie says and Buck’s eyes snap towards him. “I mean, she’s great, she’s - Any man should be lucky to be with her, but I don’t think she’s the one for me.” 

“She’s not?” Buck asks, almost breathless, before clearing his throat and saying, “You have a right to be happy, Eddie. A right to move on.” 

“I know,” Eddie says, nodding, “And I want to. It’s just, she’s not the one I want to move on with.” 

“Oh,” Buck says, shuffling a little awkwardly on his feet. He lets out a humorless laugh. “Does that mean maybe you’ll reconsider letting me babysit again? When you’re planning your next date with, uhm, that person?” 

Eddie can’t help the way the corner of his mouth curls up in a tiny smile. “I was thinking of asking Carla,” Eddie says, shoving his hands in his pockets. He can feel his heart beat in his throat. “Because I was thinking, well, hoping that you’d be otherwise occupied.” 

“Huh?” Buck’s eyebrows knit together in a frown as he regards Eddie. 

“I gotta talk to Ana,” Eddie says, because he knows it’s the right thing to do, “Explain some things. Make sure that’s all done with.”

“Okay…” Buck says, a little wary. 

“But after that, uhm, I was kind of thinking that maybe,” Eddie clears his throat, feeling stupidly nervous. “That maybe I could ask you out?” 

“Ask me - out?” Buck says, dumbfounded. 

“On a date,” Eddie rushes out the words, “If that would be something you would want?”

“Do  _ you _ \- want?” Buck asks, his eyes wide and hopeful. 

“Yeah,” Eddie says softly, deliberately. “I want.” 

Buck’s face transforms into a smile and Eddie can feel his chest opening up with warmth. 

“Me too.” 

***

_ Fin  _

  
  
  
  
  
  


**Author's Note:**

> [Find me on Tumblr!](https://finduilasclln.tumblr.com/)


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